How Long Must You Keep Safety Data Sheets?

Short answer: OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard sets no fixed number of years for keeping a safety data sheet — but where employees were exposed to a chemical, the medical and exposure records rule (29 CFR 1910.1020) requires keeping a record of that chemical's identity and where and when it was used for 30 years. You don't have to keep every historical SDS, but retaining the SDS is the simplest way to meet the 30-year obligation, and digital storage makes it practical. Here's how the two rules fit together.

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Two separate obligations

1. Current chemicals — keep the SDS as long as you use the product. While a hazardous chemical is in your workplace, you must keep its SDS and make it readily accessible to employees on every shift. When the manufacturer updates the SDS, replace your copy with the current version.

2. Discontinued chemicals — keep an exposure record for 30 years. Under OSHA's "Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records" standard (29 CFR 1910.1020), records that identify a toxic substance employees were exposed to must be retained for 30 years. A safety data sheet can serve as that record.

The practical shortcut OSHA allows

You don't necessarily have to archive every old SDS for three decades. The rule itself says so: 29 CFR 1910.1020(d)(1)(ii)(B) lets you keep, instead of the actual sheet, some record of the identity (chemical name if known) of the substance, where it was used, and when it was used for at least 30 years. That said, keeping the SDS itself is the simplest way to satisfy the rule — and it's far easier when they're stored digitally rather than in a binder that walks off.

What this means for a small facility

• Maintain current SDSs for everything you currently stock — always accessible to staff.
• When you stop using a product, don't just delete it. Archive the SDS (or at least a record of its identity and dates of use) for 30 years.
• Keep exposure-related records per 1910.1020. The HazCom standard itself sets no retention period for training records; keeping them at least as long as the employee works for you is a sensible practice.

Why digital storage wins here

A 30-year paper retention requirement is exactly the kind of thing that fails in practice — binders get tossed, products get reformulated, staff turn over. SDSentry keeps every SDS attached to the product in your per-location inventory, and archived items aren't deleted — they're retained and recoverable, so your historical record stays intact for audits and exposure claims. See our HazCom compliance checklist for how SDS retention fits the bigger picture.

Keep your SDS records audit-ready — free trial

Educational information only, not legal or compliance advice. Retention rules can vary by record type and jurisdiction — verify at osha.gov/hazcom and 29 CFR 1910.1020, or consult a qualified professional.